Discovery
by the gentle lamb
Summary: Bella, a Lieutenant's daughter is excited to leave her regimented, predictable life behind. Heading off to university she is excited to discover herself and what life holds: love, loss, life & trajedy would be what awaits her. Can she survive it? Rated T for language and mature situations. All are human and Edward and Jacob come into play shortly after beginning, be patient!
1. Chapter 1

_For those of you that have or are still following my last work, I've decided that I'm going to step away from it for another month or so just to gather my thoughts; but I promise I will come back to it to wrap it up. Moving on though, I was hoping that I could put this new idea down and see what sort of response I get, whether I should expand it or not.  
Bella is an eighteen-year-old military "brat" whose father is one of the lieutenants on base. Her mother died shortly after birth leaving her with a father who was genetically incapable of loving her like a daughter, instead treating her like one of the young men in his platoon. She enrolls and plans on leaving for university excited for the chance to live like a teenager. However, the road ahead of her is not one she ever would have expected._

_**AN: I was challenged to write something in where everyone was human, only taking into account their personalities, just to warn you now. THEY ARE ALL HUMAN! Also, Bella meets Edward… and Jacob shortly after arriving on campus; she is not with him at this point.  
As always these characters belong to S.M I have only borrowed them. **_

Two days. Forty-eight hours until my life finally begins, but first let me take you back a bit. My father, Lieutenant Charlie Swan, is the only family I have after my mother died in childbirth. Also, it must be mentioned that Sir (my father, though I have never addressed him as that) is one of the most revered lieutenants in Fort Lewis, Washington. Though to me, he is just the silhouette of a cold and broken hearted man that seemingly hated my existence more than life itself. Everyone who knew him prior to my existence and my mothers' death describe him as light itself.

My mother was said to be his happiness, meeting her changed him for the better, while losing her because of me changed him for the worst. More than that, though I had never known her or seen even a picture, I was said to be her twin, which I assume is the reason why my father could never love me as his daughter- because in me he only saw his late wife. Sir was not in any way prepared for a girl: there are never any terms of endearments, no make-up, piercings or dresses. I don't have any female friends, none live on the base. The greatest thing I can take away from this harsh lifestyle is that I have gained six brothers, the young men in my father's platoon who love and treat me like their sister; especially Jackson. The other guys make fun of us saying that we're denying the inevitable, but we could never be anything more than friends: he's under my father's command and while I love him it's just not like that.

I want someone who makes my heart stop when he enters the room, my breath hitch when he looks at me and shivers when he touches me. Okay, I know you think I'm weird but like I said I've never experienced that living with Sir. Going off to university will be the first time that I can be myself, whoever that may be. I knew that I should be getting dressed, knowing that if He came home and saw me lounging around he would kill me. So I showered and dressed so that I at least if he made an impromptu stop at home I was decent. I logged on to my Hotmail right after to see if my roommate Angela- Angie, had responded to my last message.

_Hey roomie,  
I don't know about you but I'm getting so excited I can't sleep. Can't wait to meet you, this will be a blast!_

I figured if we started talking, before we moved in together, that would only help us to get along better come the first meeting. My phone vibrated on the desk, a text message, so I closed the message and opened my phone.

**Jackson- **How's my girl this morning? You awake?  
**Me- **Yeah I'm up, what's up?  
**Jackson- **Your father is headed back to your house to shower up; we had an early drill this morning. Wanted to give you the heads up.  
**Me- **UGH! Thanks for the warning.  
**Jackson- **If you're dressed, the boys have some time to kill before we have to report back. Meet us outside in 2 minutes.  
**Me- **The boys huh? You gonna be there?  
**Jackson- **Yea so get a move on ;)

Like I said he always has my back and the playful banter, well that's just him I'm sure he does it to a million girls. Not wanting to cross paths with Sir, I grabbed my keys and coat and ran out the back. I didn't see them before I heard them, the jokes and teasing that must just be a guy thing. As I rounded the corner they all looked exhausted and gross but, truthfully, it didn't bother me.

"Aw, what happened guys did the mean, old monster kick your ass?" I laughed knowing full well that my dad was probably a slave driver in his past life.  
"You keep laughing there Swan and I'll throw you across the yard" Carter was the newest to join and thought he was the toughest, though common sense proved him otherwise.  
"Don't pick on my girl; she's right we all look like shit." I ran up to Jackson and gave him a hug, trying to make as little contact as I could, the dirt didn't bother me but I had just had a shower.  
"How much time do we have to kill?"  
"Couple of hours, what did you want to do princess?" Jackson still had his arm snaked around my waist, holding me to him.  
"Well, I haven't eaten so why don't you all shower quickly and we can grab a late breakfast? Sound good?" They all smiled and shrugged and cleared out quickly, I just hoped that they would be as quick showering, I was starving!

Breakfast was a memory that I tried to make sure I never forgot. In that line of work you never know where you'll go or what you'll be doing and I would miss my "family". We finished and they headed back to work, hugging me and telling me that tomorrow we would all celebrate my last night together. I held back the tears until I turned my back to them.

"Bella!" I quickly wiped my face and turned back to Jackson.  
"Something wrong?" He took my shoulders in his hands and leaned into my ear,  
"I finish around eleven tonight and thought maybe you'd just like to take a walk with me after? I know tomorrow's your last night but I don't want to share that time with anyone else. Is that okay?" That small declaration of emotion from Jackson, from any of the guys in fact, was hard for them I knew. Though they had to be tougher than nails to do what they did, underneath they were all still human.  
"Sure, but I don't know if Sir is going to agree to that, you know how he is." He smiled sheepishly.  
"Well… your dad will be working so as long as I have you back before one we're good to go.' I laughed, Jackson was so cheeky, and I loved him for it.  
"Sounds great, you gonna text me or am I meeting you somewhere?"  
"I'll text you in a bit, but I'll meet you at the backdoor right at eleven don't be late just wear something warm, it's getting colder at nights."

He gave my shoulders a final squeeze made I made my way back to the house. I was excited to spend my last nights with him, but in the back of my mind all I could think about was what my life had in store for me when I got to Uni!

_I hope it wasn't terrible. Just be patient for me, I wanted to give a more detailed look into her life on base before I moved right into the story. Go ahead, go press that button below and keep an eye out for chapter two, depending on the response it should be up by tomorrow, and then let the fun begin __ TGL _


	2. Chapter 2

_ Couldn't wait so I decided I'd put up chapter two. Shall we continue?_

I had a big smile on my face as I made my way back to the house. Jackson was my best friend and the thought of leaving him, the security he provided, broke my heart. I needed to get away from Washington and my father though; I needed to find out who I was. I put my key in and noticed that the door was unlocked. _Great_ my father was still there. I fixed my shirt and took a deep breath before entering Hell. I walked over to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water and almost dropped it when my father stood quietly behind me, studying me intently. I quietly gasped as I took in the sight of him but quickly regained my composure.

"Good morning Sir." his answer came automatically and curtly,  
"Isabella," to some that might have seemed rude but after this long I had already come to the realization that my father tolerated me, he did not love me; that never stopped me from wanting that affection from him though. To this day I cannot think of a time where he embraced me, kissed my cheek or even squeezed my hand.  
"How were the exercises Sir?" He grumbled slightly,  
"They're not to be enjoyed, just to be completed. But I have a good group of young men under me. They will go far." My heart caught a bit hearing him say that. Why could he compliment his platoon and the men but never his daughter?  
"Sir I thought-" I was going to tell him I was going out with Jackson but I knew he would insist that I didn't.  
"What is it Isabella?" The emotionless look on his face was not one that encouraged a continuation.  
"It's nothing. Do you have to be getting back soon? Should I just put your dinner plate in the microwave?" His eyes tightened, I knew because that's what I always did.  
"Well, have a good afternoon."

I walked away to my bedroom. I wish I didn't have so much time to kill until I met up with Jackson. I did some chores around the house and responded to Angela. I told her that I was also very excited and that I couldn't wait to meet her. I hadn't told her yet that my mother had passed or that my father served, those just weren't things to say over an email. I just hoped that she would be accepting and in a way gentle in her "bringing me into the college life,"

As I pressed send I wondered if Jackson had gone to college for a semester or so before he came here. I knew very little about his family and that was because I knew that they were the reason why he joined. He had a younger sister, Amelia, who was now around eleven. His mother was the punching bag to a drunken and abusive father, and she was unable to leave him. The only thing that he has ever once told me was that he enrolled to learn control, duty and commitment and that as soon as he could, he was going to give Amelia the life that she deserved.

The love that he had for his sister, though I have never met her or seen it demonstrated in person, was one that I envied. Even though I knew I shouldn't, I often wondered what my mother was like and what she saw in the man that was my father. More than that, I wanted to know if she loved me, if she wanted to keep me and was looking forward to growing with me. I wrapped myself with my blankets and thoughts of my mother and held onto them as I drifted to sleep. My phone was on loud as I knew that Jackson would text me an hour or so before he came so I wouldn't oversleep.

My phone's ringer startled and disoriented me. I shook my head, running my hands through my hair before answering it.  
**  
Me-"Hello?"  
Jackson-"How's it going sleepyhead?"  
Me-"How did you know I was sleeping?" Jackson's soft laugh echoed from the receiver.  
Jackson-"Because you always did take a minute or two to wake up."  
Me-"What time is it?"  
Jackson-"It's just passed ten-thirty, have you been sleeping this whole time?" I cursed slightly, looking at my clock to confirm that I had slept the entire afternoon.  
Me-"Yeah I have, I'll just go pull my hair back and put some sweatpants on and a sweater and I'll meet you…" I paused,  
"I'm at the back door already," **

I hung up and ran to the back door. The last thing I needed was for someone to report to Sir that there was a strange man hanging around the back of the house. He walked into the living room before wrapping me in his arms and greeting me. I stepped back and looked at him, trying to memorize the sight that is him: He had brown hair and hazel eyes, a trait that he was said to get from his mother. His eyes, though always focused, were never anything but sincere. He was wearing a grey long sleeved shirt, the fabric stretching across his gently toned body. He was not greatly muscled but he was defined. His shoulders, broad, which suited him for all of the burdens he carried.

"I'm sorry I'm not dressed. Give me a minute?" He sat on the couch, having the patience of a saint, and was in the same position when I came back in a sweater and sweat pants. Don't look at me like that, yes he was good looking and I should have wanted to impress him, but that would not have been the way to do it.  
"So Mr. Secretive, what are we up to?" I pouted, giving him my best puppy eyes hoping that he would tell me.  
"It wasn't a secret; I know how much you hate those. I packed a blanket and hot drinks I just wanted sit on the dock with you and enjoy my last," he cleared his throat,

"enjoy the time we have that's all."  
"And how are we supposed to get there without anyone seeing us?"  
"Well… I might have bargained with the new guy on night watch and we're invisible," I shook my head. For someone who was cheeky and liked bending the rules a bit, when needed he followed them well.

For the first few minutes, after successfully making it there, as promised, we both sat there wrapped in silence. He adjusted the blanket around us as I brought my knees to my chin.  
"I know that look, what's my girl thinking about?" I didn't face him, instead stared intently on the water.  
"Hey," his voice was gentle as his hand, calloused from his work, guided my face to his eyes, "you know there isn't a thing that you can't tell me." I brought my head down a bit so that for a second he was holding it in his hand before I straightened and answered.  
"Am I ready for this? To leave you, my father and this life behind? Some people go off to university and lose themselves, some crack under the pressure and-"  
"_Those people_ are not you. Your upbringing has made you stronger than most and there isn't a thing that you can't handle. Please don't ever think that, don't ever doubt yourself." I looked into his eyes directly,  
"Will you miss me?" His answer was delayed, leaving an uncomfortable silence between us for a few moments.  
"Every second of every day. But I know that you need this to grow and I would never keep you from this experience. We can text all day still and Skype as much as my schedule allows. You are damning this friendship Bella, it'll be okay." I leaned into his chest, feeling the warmth of his breath on my hair and felt as content as I had felt in a long time.

But I didn't want to be content anymore, I wanted to be excited and happy. I knew that he was right that we would be okay and more than anything I was coming to realize that this change would be one for the better. Maybe not right away or all the time, but it would be one that hopefully led me to the paths that I was destined to take and whatever they were, in that moment, I knew that I had accepted that and now it was time to take the first steps onto it.

_Jackson is a character that I have a weakness for as he represents a friendship that I have, so I hope that I was able to make him lovable to you all. So what do you think? Tomorrow is the last day and then let the games begin. _


End file.
